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This month's news from the National Pharmacy Association...

Uplift to advanced payments for April and May dispensing

Pharmacy owners will receive the 19p Single Activity Fee (SAF) increase for the dispensing months of April and May 2025 sooner.

Under normal procedures, advance payments are calculated by the NHS Business Services Authority using the latest Average Item Value (AIV) fi gure for each individual pharmacy, as well as declared items and value of prescription charges declared.

As the historic AIV figures would not have incorporated the 19p SAF increase, pharmacy owners would have received the benefit of the 19p SAF increase upon receipt of the balancing payments for dispensing months April and May this year (around 60 days from the conclusion of the month, under the current payment timetable).

Under the adjusted mechanism, pharmacy owners will receive the benefit of the 19p SAF upliftwhen they receive their advance payment for April and May 2025. Timing for this will differ depending on whether pharmacies receive their advance payments under the early advance timetable or normal advancetimetable.

National Pharmacy Association towelcome new chief executive

The NPA will be welcoming its new chief executive, Henry Gregg on 27 May. Henry, who is currently director of external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK has a huge amount of experience in membership organisations, public service and health advocacy such as working in parliament and not-for-profit organisations, as well as local government.

Previously he has worked at the Health Foundation, lobbying government to invest in the NHS, and the National Housing Federation, campaigning for a ordable housing, as well as senior roles at London Boroughs of Newham and Barking and Dagenham.

Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) 2025/26 (England)

The 2025/26 PQS has commenced and certain actions under the ‘quality’ domains can be undertaken. The NPA PQS 2025/26 pack is available to support you in making your declaration.

UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY AMR AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

April-May 2025

The AMR campaign will aim to increase public awareness and understanding of the correct and incorrect use of antibiotics.

Latest policy consultations

Did you know that the NPA responds to numerous governmental and NHS policy reviews each year?

If you would like to share your own views and experiences to help us represent your interests e ectively, please contact your NPA board member or the NPA policy team at independentsvoice@npa.co.uk

National Cancer Plan

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has started its call for evidence for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will aim to maximise impact through up-to-date technology and innovation. The scope of this consultation includes prevention, access, early diagnosis and treatment, research and addressing inequalities.

GPhC fees consultation

We are seeking your input as part of a consultation on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC’s) proposed increase to registration fees for pharmacy professionals, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy premises. The council proposes increasing registration fees by 6 per cent from September 2025 and another 6 per cent in September 2026.

Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) deal

An agreement has been reached between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Community Pharmacy England on the funding arrangements for both the CPCF (2024-2025 and 2025-2026) and Pharmacy First in England.

• The global sum for the year 2024/25 has been increased from £2,592 million to £2,698 million (an uplift of £106 million or 4.1%).

• However, the 2024/25 increase has been earned through “over-delivery”, so there is effectively no additional money coming for this financial year.

• The global sum for the 2025/26 is being increased to £3,073 million (an uplift of £375 million or 13.9%). Within this sum, £900 million will be delivered through margin. The Single Activity Fee (SAF) will be increased from £1.27 to £1.46.

• The funding for Pharmacy First and some other clinical services is set at £215m, which means that it may be possible to earn up to £3,288 million through the contract.

• There will be a one-off write-off of £193 million of excess margin, which otherwise would have been clawed back from contractors.

• There are increases to the service fees for the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS), Pharmacy First (PFS), the New Medicines Service (NMS) and the Hypertension Case Finding Service (HCFS).

• The NMS will be expanded to include depression. The PCS will be expanded to include emergency contraception.

• From June 2025, there will be two thresholds for PFS – if a contractor delivers 20-29 consultations, they will receive £500, but if they complete 30 or more consultations, they will receive the full £1,000 payment.

• £30 million for targeted Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) reinstated from 1 April 2025

• Up to £8 million of funding secured for community pharmacy will be used to support digital developments in 2025 to2026.

There is no specific allowance to cover the costs associated with National Insurance and the National Living Wage – those costs will need to be covered out of the generaluplift.

For up-to-date guidance and information, go to the NPA Membership Hub or contact the NPA’s Pharmacy Advice and Support Team – call 01727891800 or email pharmacyservices@npa.co.uk

Margin Uplift (Wales)

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) 2025/26 agreement for England includes £900m allocated specifi cally to medicine margin and a one-off write-offof £193m of excess margin.

In Wales, the current margin is estimated by the Welsh Government to be £56m and due to the uplift, this is expected to increase to an estimated £63m in recurrent consequential margin annually. Go to the NPA Membership Hub for more information.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Campaign

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has launched a new pilot campaign focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It aims to re-engage younger adults with AMR and build support for the behaviours that will help keep antibiotics working.

It will initially run for six weeks until 18 May. To support stakeholders spread the word about the campaign, the UKHSA has produced a campaign communications toolkit.

See campaignresources.dhsc.gov.uk/campaigns/keep-antibiotics-working/all-partner-toolkit

GP Connect Access Record: Structured (England)

The GP Connect Access Record: Structured (England) is being rolled out to community pharmacies and enables pharmacies to view real-time, read-only information from GP records. This will provide an alternative to accessing information via the National Care Records Service portal and is intended to support timely and informed care.

Independent Prescribing (IP) Hub

Community pharmacy teams looking to start a prescribing service should take a look at the NPA resources on our IP Hub. Search ‘prescribing’ on our Membership Hub.

Data Security and Protection Toolkit 2024/25

Pharmacy contractors are required to complete and submit the Data Security and Protection (DSP)Toolkit 2024/25 by Monday 30 June 2025. NPA members have access to a range of support materials to help them comply, including a GDPR training manual and Frequently Asked Questions.

Here are just a few of the FAQs coming into our team:

How will the details I enter on the ‘Organisation Profile’ section help my DSP Toolkit submission?

By entering the relevant information into the ‘Organisation Profile’ section, the assessment will be tailored to become pharmacy specific. Also, some of the assessment answers will be pre-populated – while this will aid completion of the Toolkit, we suggest you read through these and ensure they are correct for your pharmacy before submitting. For example, confirming whether you have worked through the ‘GDPR Workbook for Community Pharmacy’ about half of the mandatory questions will be marked as completed and can be answered with ‘see GDPR WB’.

Why do I need to name the pharmacy’s appointed Data Protection Officer (DPO)?

You need to confirm who your DPO is as one is required under GDPR – further details can be found on the NPA GDPR webpage. The DPO is the individual who advises and monitors the pharmacy organisation’s GDPR compliance and is the point of contact for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the public.

Is it mandatory for me to appoint a Caldicott Guardian?

It is not mandatory for every pharmacy to appoint a Caldicott Guardian; however, you may choose to do this if you feel that it is appropriate for your pharmacy.

Important patient safety updates

Opioid safety guidance

The Specialist Pharmacy Service has released guidance on how to develop opioid safety, to help support healthcare professionals promote the safer use of opioids for chronic, non-cancer pain.

Liver injury risk

The MHRA has issued a Drug Safety Update on new recommendations to minimise the risks of liver injury for patients on Fezolinetant (Veoza).

Cannabidiol registration

Are you dispensing products containing cannabidiol (CBD)? The MHRA has issued a statement clarifying the registration required for these products.

Oral contraception with GLP-1 agonists

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) has released a statement on the use of contraception and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, highlighting the reduced bioavailability of oral contraceptives when using Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and the need for non-oral contraception methods for four-weeks after initiating Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and for four-weeks after each dose increase, or to consider non-oral contraception methods.

Concerta supply

Due to the supply issues with Concerta XL, the MHRA has approved supplies of specific batches of Concerta products from Finland and Norway for the UK market. These products have the same formulation as the UK product.

Pharmacist Support birthday appeal

Pharmacist Support – the profession’s independent charity – is marking 184 years of supporting the pharmacy community with the launch of a special birthday donations appeal. It wants to raise vital funds to meet the growing demand for its mental health and wellbeing services.

Findings from the charity’s most recent Workforce Wellbeing Survey, carried out in partnership with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, highlight the scale of the issue: 35% of pharmacy professionals rated their mental health as poor or very poor.

To mark its birthday, the charity is encouraging supporters to donate £18.40 - a symbolic gesture tied to its founding year of 1841. Supporters are encouraged to get involved in whichever way suits them best:

• Make a one-off donation

• Set up a regular donation to help the charity plan for the future

• Take on a challenge – walk 1.84 miles, run 18.4km, or commit to giving something up

• Fundraise as a team – host a bake sale, quiz night or wellbeing activity with colleagues.

Donate today to help Pharmacist Support reach more people in need: https://justgiving.com/campaign/pharmacist-support-birthday-appeal

Weight management enforcement notice

The General Pharmaceutical Council, the Advertising Standards Authority and the MHRA have issued a joint enforcement notice about adverts for weight management. Read the notice to ensure you are aware of the law on the advertising and promotion of medicines that must be followed.